Drainpipe connection to drain/manhole?

mcqueen · 30 Sep 2008

Hi,
At the front of my house there is a drain pipe that runs into the garden. At present the garden is cemented over but I will soon be digging that up to restore the front garden again. I know that I can make a soak away to take the rain water that comes down from the drainpipe. However, what I wanted to know is whether I could join a plastic pipe to the end of the drain pipe, run that under the soil and then on into a nearby drain/manhole. It would mean I would have to knock a hole in the side of the manhole though, for the pipe to fit through. Can you tell me is this difficult, legal and would I need a special fitting incase of smells from the pipe/drain. Hope you can advise.

r896neo · 30 Sep 2008

where does the existing pipe go to? Or is it just a downspout that empties onto the concrete?

You can of course do what you suggest but it is not really legally correct.

Rainwater should go into a soakaway, if that is not possible then into a storm drain system and if that is not possible into the sewer system as a last resort.

If you can build a soakaway you should. If your ground is heavy clay and or the soakaway could not be sited more than 5m from the house then you can move to the next option.

theoutlaw · 30 Sep 2008

If you pipe into foul water system you will need a trap in the pipe to seal of smells coming back up,I have used pre-formed gulleys that allow you to clean them of leafs and moss that can choke them up. Also legally need to tell the water board so they can charge you for surface water away

Soak away is the best option but this is regulated by the surface area of what the water is coming off. This will determin how big the soak away needs to be. I dig a pit, line it with a membrane and cover the bottom with mixed 10mm & 20mm shingle then fill with clean broken bricks. Dont use anything with cement on it or crushed concrette, it will break down over time and block the soak away up. cover it up with membrane and then back fill over it with shingle top soil and then turf.
Your local council or even water board will be able to tell you how to calculate the volume of the pit you will need to dig.

Tony

mcqueen · 30 Sep 2008

r896neo said:
where does the existing pipe go to? Or is it just a downspout that empties onto the concrete?

You can of course do what you suggest but it is not really legally correct.

Rainwater should go into a soakaway, if that is not possible then into a storm drain system and if that is not possible into the sewer system as a last resort.

If you can build a soakaway you should. If your ground is heavy clay and or the soakaway could not be sited more than 5m from the house then you can move to the next option.

Thanks very much for your advise. Yes, the existing pipe is just a downspout that empties on the concrete. If I built a soak away it would only be about 2 or 3 meters at maximum from the house. As for the storm drain, is this what the slotted drains at the side of the road drain into? If it is, I guess, I would have to dig up the pavement to connect to it, which sounds a bit complicated, or is it? Can you advise me? It is worth mentioning though, that the manhole cover is on a path (shared with my neighbour) just to the side of the front garden, about 2 meters from the downpipe (that's why I was thinking this would be the best bet). Cheers

r896neo · 30 Sep 2008

if your going to break into a manhole you should contact your local building control office. They are pretty helpful and not as intimidating a bunch as they sound. Don't worry about jargon and the right terminology for things either just describe your situation and they will advise your options.

theoutlaw · 1 Oct 2008

He doesnt need to break into the Inspection chamber if there is enough room on the pipe run to branch into, a lot easier to do.
Also note what I have said above about surface water into foul water system.

Tony

mcqueen · 1 Oct 2008

theoutlaw said:
He doesnt need to break into the Inspection chamber if there is enough room on the pipe run to branch into, a lot easier to do.
Also note what I have said above about surface water into foul water system.

Tony

Thanks Tony for the alternative suggestion. However, I think the pipe going into the the inspection chamber is ceramic rather than plastic, so it would mean breaking into that which could be messy, dont you think? Wouldn't the inspection chamber be an easier bet given that? Tell me what do you know/think? Many Thanks, Please get back to me, Stuart.

libby lou lou · 1 Oct 2008

Your ceramic will be clay pipe, or, saltglaze, cut into that with a grinder, fit a plastic y piece, with the requred adapters, and you done, no one really need know about it.

theoutlaw · 1 Oct 2008

Exactamondo

Tony

Richard C · 2 Oct 2008

Due to a lack of investment, many of the older drainage systems are operating at near capacity. Most local councils now require provision of soak-aways for gutter drainage & have by-laws prohibiting you connecting into the foul/surface drainage system without permission; you need to check with your local council.

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Drainpipe connection to drain/manhole?

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